The former president of Zambia Edgar Lungu has said he was “virtually under house arrest” and accused police of a plot to forcibly detain him “for no reason”.
Mr Lungu said police mobilized to arrest him overnight from his residence in the capital Lusaka.
It comes days after the former leader was quoted as saying there could be a change of government in the country before the 2026 general elections.
Police chief Graphael Musamba said Lungu would be called to explain his statement, local media reported.
Mr Lungu announced a comeback to politics last October, prompting the government to withdraw his pension benefits.
He had retired from politics after losing the presidency Hakainde Hichilema in 2021.
The former leader accuses the government of victimizing him and members of his Patriotic Front (PF) party to block his return to politics.
His wife, former First Lady Esther Lungu, has been charged with corruption in motor vehicle and title theft cases. She denies the accusations.
The government has denied targeting Mr Lungu and asked him to give his successor time to fulfill his campaign promises.
On Wednesday, Mr Lungu said he had been subjected to numerous unconstitutional actions by the state after leaving office.
He alleged that police were instructed to “ambush me at night, kidnap me, embarrass me and forcibly detain me like a hardcore criminal”.
“To my knowledge, I have not committed any crime that would justify the government, through the police, to plot against me in this way,” Mr Lungu added.
It is not clear whether there is still a police presence at his home on Thursday and police did not immediately respond to questions from the BBC about the matter.
But the presidency has argued in the past that it respects human rights and does not interfere with police actions.
At a church service last Sunday, Lungu warned of regime change before the next election, saying “a baby can be born before nine months”.
Information Minister Cornelius Mweetwa said the government was “carefully studying” Mr Lungu’s comments, calling them “chilling and startling”.
It comes a few days after police warned that Mr Lungu was at risk of arrest and prosecution for “participating in activities that disrupt public order and security”.
Crowds of people crowded around him as he walked the streets of Lusaka two weeks ago, ostensibly to address the reported high cost of doing business in the city.
In February, the former president asked citizens to call early elections, accusing his successor of failing to manage the economy.
The former leader was warned against jogging in public last year after police described his weekly workouts as “political activism.”
Meanwhile, a human rights body has called on the Zambian government to overturn the conviction of an opposition official two weeks ago for apparently defaming the president.
Raphael Nakacinda, a senior PF official, was convicted on May 17 for his comments in 2021 in which he alleged that President Hichilema had coerced judges into making judgments favorable to him.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Nakacinda’s 18-month prison sentence would have “a broad chilling effect” on the right to freedom of expression in Zambia.
The Zambian government has not yet responded to the HRW statement.
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